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Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Campbell County Commissioners Likely To Approve Needle Exchange

The Campbell County Fiscal Court will hold a meeting tonight in Alexandria at 7:00 p.m. A resolution to vote on needle exchange will be on the agenda.

A resolution will be voted on at the Campbell County Fiscal Court meeting tonight in Alexandria to decide whether or not Campbell County will allow a needle exchange and if conventional wisdom holds true, the measure is likely to pass.

Commissioners Brian Painter, Tom Lampe and Charlie Coleman, along with Judge Executive, Steve Pendery, will be charged with making the vote.

Resolution 29-16 will grant consent to the Northern Kentucky Health Department to operate a substance abuse treatment and disease prevention program that allows participants to exchange hypodermic needles and syringes. There is a sunset provision in the resolution that will expire on December 31, 2018.

The Kentucky General Assembly passed the "the heroin bill" in March of 2015 which passed the buck to local governments to set up local option needle exchanges. Those exchanges require approval from county and city governments.

A nearly-five hour meeting took place on April 20th in Newport, where health professionals and residents made their case for and against a needle exchange within the county. Health professionals were overwhelmingly on the side of establishing a needle exchange, whereas the majority of opposition came from members of the Campbell County Tea Party.

Pendery has been on record since the legislature passed Senate Bill 192, that he was for the county bringing a needle exchange to Campbell County.

“The fact that the legislature voted for anything remotely resembling a needle exchange, local-option or not, is astonishing. It happened because (legislators) got the facts and the facts were clear. Needle exchanges are a good thing,”Campbell County Judge Executive Steve Pendery told FTM in June of 2015.

Coleman, who has written an op-ed opposing the exchanges, said that he believes the majority of Campbell Countians he's talked to do not want needle exchanges in their county and the plans fail to take needles off the street.

"For the past year I have canvased Campbell County residents as to their opinion on needle exchange. Although not scientific, overwhelmingly Campbell Countians have told me “no” to the Needle Program."

In Campbell County, it's been thought that Commissioner Brian Painter would be the swing vote on the issue. He said in 2015 that he was open to a conversation and had spoken to the Campbell County Tea Party about their concerns about the program later that year.

He said he's taking his cue on his vote, among other items, from an up-and-down tax levy vote in 1981 that passed in the county. The vote indicated that the county would help fund the county's mental health and intellectual disability fund.

"We had a clear mandate from our county voters in 1981 to take care of those who have mental health and intellectual disabilities. When people tax themselves, they are serious about getting something in return and we have distinct directions here," he said. "If all we are doing is paying for our health care in jail, we aren't going to be able to do the things we need to do as a county, like paving our roads. We have to protect the county coffers from those that are partaking in behaviors that are spreading disease in our county."
While the ordinance from the 1981 tax levy is on the books in Campbell County, the language of how the ballot initiative was worded wasn't recorded by Fiscal Court.

According to County Administrator, Matt Elberfeld, several people have asked for that information, without success. "Fiscal Court doesn't keep election (information)," he said in an email to FTM. "We've talked to the Secretary of State, County Clerk's Office, and library to see if anyone has a copy and haven't had any luck."

Painter said a private grant from the R.C. Durr Foundation will help pay for the needle exchange, so that the county could be protected from, as he puts it, "excessive claims."

Kenton County and Covington passed an ordinance in March after Grant County and Williamstown passed an ordinance in February of this year. Kenton's ordinance mandated that at least three Northern Kentucky counties offer an exchange.

With Painter and Lampe on board, it looks like Kenton and Campbell will be in lockstep to join Grant County as Northern Kentucky cities to offer a needle exchange program.

The details of the exchange will be hashed out at the meeting, but one clear distinction between the two counties could be the location of the exchange.

Kenton County's will operate as a mobile unit just three hours week. Painter said that he was initially in favor of a mobile unit on St. Elizabeth's Newport campus, but he couldn't build a consensus on that.

"The devil is in the details," he said. "We're counting on our health department officials to help guide this decision because it's a local mental health issue. The fact of the matter is there were great conservatives that have already passed the exchange in Kenton County and it's time we look at doing the same in Campbell County."

Commissioner Coleman said that he's heard proposals that the needle exchange would be at the county health department, located in the Newport Fiscal Court Building on Monmouth Street.

"The building was constructed for conducting county business. The County Clerk, Sheriff, PVA, Planning and Zoning, Housing Department, Occupational Business and Fiscal Court offices are all located here. It is not uncommon for citizens to bring their children with them when they get their automobile license or pay taxes," he said. "Should Campbell County citizens and their children be exposed to potential overdose situations at the County building?"

Even with the measure expected to pass at the county level, the next hurdle could be at the city level, where the Newport City Commission will debate the issue.

Commissioners John Hayden, Beth Fennell, Tom Guidugli, Frank Peluso and Mayor Jerry Peluso, will have the final say in Campbell County if the proposal from the Fiscal Court holds true on location.

Some issues that could be discussed at the Newport Commission, other than the location, could be the use of retractable needles or the amount of needles required to be returned for needles to be distributed.

The meeting tonight will be at 7:00 p.m. at the Campbell County Courthouse in Alexandria.

7 comments:

Let's be clear here, this is not a needle exchange program. It is a heroin starter kit distribution program. These kits will include a tourniquet, a cooking Bowl, cotton balls,sterile water, needles, alcohol prep pads and a condom.

Tom Lampe sits on the board of St. Elizabeth Health Care, which will be a major partner in this program, therefore, he should recuse himself from this vote.

What ppl don't understand,weither they pass this or not ppl are going to continue to use so I think it's a good idea as far as helping keep diseases from spreading more widely It's ashamed we have to pass bills like this but we need to help some how ppl that use drugs need some kind of help an jail isn't always the answer.Unless u or someone in your family is an addict your never really going to know or understand how what a family really goes through.

Kevin, your ignorance is outstanding... Diabetic needles DO NOT have a complete flush. If they are shared between users, and one has HIV, you can almost guarantee the other is going to contract the disease. The needles provided at the exchange have an almost complete flush. Giving that same user over an 80% chance of NOT contracting HIV, or other such infections. Not only is it a matter of saving lives, which is the most important issue, but the money saved is astronomical. This isn't a starter kit. You have to provide a needle to get one. Users will use regardless. But with this program, the users and other bystanders, (example: children in parks) can be given some type of safety. Not to mention, the people using this program will be given information on how to seek help, if they choose to. Lives of children, grandchildren, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, ect. are at stake. If the problem cannot be completely eradicated, then people need to do what they can to help, not throw stones.

Unreal!!! What is this world/county coming to??!! So after 15 years of this drug swarming our area; narcan kits are distributed and now a potential needle exchange clinic!! Are you kidding me?? Of course St. E has to be the place considering this, it 's money in their bank. St. E does not care about saving or helping a heroin addict, they want the publicity. St E=The sugar coated devil! They do not hire people that smoke, but want to take a needle then give a needle. This is not the answer. Obviously, no one knows the answer now that this epidemic is beyond help or control. Suggestion- How about St. E opens a "donation only" treatment center for the addicted that want to get help. The individuals who were voted in to be on these addiction boards and decision making councils are most likely fools. These people are the reason our world is in a sick place and the reason heroin, crime, people dying have blown off the statistical charts. This will never fight the eoisemic, it will cheer it on. Scary world!